Process of oxidizing organic substances



J1me 1932- w o. HERRMANN ET AL 3 5 I I PROCESS OF OXIDIZING ORGANIC SUBSTANCES INVENTO R8 0 Mozo zo ATTORNEY Patented June 1932 UNITED' STATES PATENT- OFFICE- WILLY oi :mnnmmr AND ERICK aum, or Human, GERMANY, Assrenons are con- SORTIUM FUR ELEKTBOCHEMISCHE INDUSTRIE, OF MUNICH,

rnocnss or oxmrzme ORGANIC suns'rmcn's Application filed May 1, 1925, Seriallio. 21,296, and in Germany Kay 6, 1924.

We have found that organic substances are advantageously partially oxidized by mixing them with oxygen containing gases or oxygen compounds and passing the mixture at high velocity in contact with heated surfaces.

The process maybe for instance, carried out by passing the mixture of the gases at high velocity through narrow capillary tubes heated only for a small portion of their 10 length. A very advantageous way of carrying out the process is blowing the mixture of the gases through a narrow openin against a heated reflecting face. The rate 0 passage of the gases through the opening being ad- ]usted to suit the particular mixture of org'anic substances, oxidizing means, and temperature of the reflecting face used. The products of reaction may be withdrawn from the reaction chamber by a narrow tube concentrically surroundin the inlet tube. The present process may combined with known measures for chilling the reaction gases. v

By this new method a very smooth reaction process for many oxidations is attained.

When carryin out the reaction by means of a reflecting ace this face may beconstruetedfro'm a material with catal ic activity as copper, silver etc. By a dition of gaseous catalyzers, as vapors of nitric acid, nitric oxides, etc. the reaction may be favorinfluenced.

trates one form of apparatus suitable for carryinfgcout the process, and Fig. 2 illustrates a modi ation.

In Fig.

- the exit end of the small bore tube 1,. The

1 the mixed reaction gases are 111111-130 forced in atthe point 7 and through the nar operation of this is the same as in Figure 1. 4

The heating maybe accomgalished ly any suitable means such as direct ame or e ectric heatin elements. 4 shows the heating accomplishe by a Bunsen burner. Temperature observation is made by means of the thermoplle 5 in close proximity to the heated face.

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' T e process may be generall used for partial oxidation of acetaldehy e, ethylene or methanol, for the manufacture of maleic acid from benzene and the like.

Example I er, where the generated formaldehyde is condensed. The acetaldehyde is oxidized by this means to formaldehyde with nearly theoretical yield. The reflecting face ma be constructed from copper or silver instea of glass.

Example II The proceeding is the same Example I, but instead of oxy en 10 liters of nitrous oxide (NO- are use the reaction ing similarly to Example I. lnstea of NO other oxides of nitrogen may be advantabl t geously employed, for example 1L0, or N 0,.

the accompanying drawing, Fig. 1 illus- Example III 4 -The process is carried out in a capillary 'roceedtube of 1 mm. diameter, heated for a distance 7 During a period of one hour liters of air mixed with a small quantity of nitric oxide (N 0,) and 50 g.

acetaldehyde'are passing through. The yield of formaldehyde is nearly theoretical.

I E wample IV Through a capillary tube of 1 mm: diameter 2.5 g. methanol and liters of air are blown ina period of one hour againsta reflecting face of copper heated to 550 0. About one third of the methanol. is oxidized into formaldehyde with theoretical yield, the remainder being quantitatively recovered.

By the expression partially oxidizing organic substances as used in the claims is meant oxidizing substantially all the organic substances to a product that is partially oxI-Y dized in contrast to oxidizing completely a fraction of the organic substance.

- What We claim is:

1. Process of partially-oxidizing organic I compounds containing carbon, hydrogen and oxygen which consists in causing mixtures of the said compounds with oxygen to be projected through capillary tubes heated only for a small portion of their length.

2. Process of partially oxidizing acetaldehyde to formaldehyde which consists in causing a migzture of ace'taldehyde with an oxygen bearing gas to be projected through capillary tubes heated only for a small portion of their length.

WILLY O. HERRMANN. ERICH BAUM." 

